Reclining Female Nude

1658

Rembrandt van Rijn

Associated Names
Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

The image shows a nude figure lying down, seen from the back with most of the body visible. The figure is positioned horizontally on a surface that resembles a bed or couch, with the head turned away. The hair is either closely cropped or not clearly defined due to shading. The artist used dense cross-hatching and shading to depict depth and contour, highlighting the figure's curves and musculature. The image does not show any facial features. The background is filled with dark cross-hatching, creating a dimly lit space with lighter areas suggesting fabric beneath the figure. There are no visible pieces of jewelry or objects. The overall composition is moody and textured, emphasizing light and shadow.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, drypoint and burin on Japan paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 8.3 x 16 cm (3 1/4 x 6 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.7205

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    White/Boon 1969, no. 205, State ii/iii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing Julius Rosenwald (Lugt 1760b); given to the National Gallery of Art 1943

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1930

  • Prints and Drawings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) from the Collections of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, 1930

  • Rembrandt Etchings: Lent by Mr. Lessing J. Rosenwald, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 1930.

1932

  • Etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) from the Collections of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Art Galleries, Washington, D.C., 1932.

1947

  • Loan Exhibition of Paintings by Frans Hals and Rembrandt, Los Angeles County Museum, 1947, no. 48.

1954

  • Exhibition of Negro Subjects, Howard University, Washington, DC, 1954, no cat.

1969

  • Rembrandt in the National Gallery of Art [Commemorating the Tercentenary of the Artist's Death], National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1969, no. 58, 60-61, repro.

  • Rembrandt: Experimental Etcher, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, NY, 1969-1970, no. 111, repro.

1973

  • Etchings by Rembrandt, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1973, no catalogue.

1995

  • Imitation and Invention: Old Master Prints and Their Sources, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995, as Woman Lying Down.

2006

  • Strokes of Genius: Rembrandt's Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Bibliography

1923

  • Hind, Arthur M. A Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1923.

1969

  • White, Christopher and Karel G. Boon. Rembrandt's Etchings. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Van Gendt & Co., 1969.

1993

  • The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700. (Rembrandt, Erik Hinterding and Jaco Rutgers, authors). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. 308, state ii/vi.

Inscriptions

recto: in plate, in image, at lower left: Rembrandt f. 1658;

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q65024746

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